Ilvala () and Vatapi were

rakshasas Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma wh ...

and brothers. Legend has it that both were vanquished by the sage

Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...

Rakshasa

They ruled from

Badami Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from CE 540 to 757. It is famous for its rock cut monumen ...

, formerly known as Vatapi, named after rakshasa king

Vatapi Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from CE 540 to 757. It is famous for its rock cut monuments ...

. According to the

Mahābhārata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

, Vatapi ruled the area along with Ilvala. Once Ilvala hosted a tapasvi Brahmin with reverence and asked him to grant a boon. He desired to have a son equal to

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

. But the sage did not oblige. Following this, his anger turned to hatred against all Brahmins and

mendicants A mendicant (from la, mendicans, "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many ins ...

. Ilvala and

took a grudge against all sages. Vatapi knew the art of transformation and had the power to change into any life form. Ilvala knew the ‘Mritasanjivani’ mantra to bring back the dead. They used these powers to loot and kill. Ilvala invite a brahman to a feast and Vatapi would turn himself into a Goat. The

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...

mentions that Ilvala had a son named Balvala, who used to disturbed the sages present at Naimisha forest when the

sages A sage ( grc, σοφός, ''sophos''), in classical philosophy, is someone who has attained wisdom. The term has also been used interchangeably with a 'good person' ( grc, ἀγαθός, ''agathos''), and a 'virtuous person' ( grc, σπουδα� ...

heard the narration of various

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

from Sauti. Later,

Balarama Balarama (Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Balad ...

during his pilgrimage kills him.Bhagavata Purana Skandha X Chapter 78.38-40, 79.1-7, Motilal Bansaridass Publishers Book 4 pages 1747, 1748

Encounter with Agastya

Ilvala is said to have invited one of the Saptarishis, the great sage

, and received him with reverence and honour. Vatapi transformed into a goat and was prepared as a meal and served to Agastya. Sage Agastya, with his divine power, understood the evil intention of his hosts and decided to put an end to their reign of terror. Agastya ate the mutton served to him. As soon as the sage finished eating, Ilvala called,"Vatapi atragacha" (Vatapi come here). Immediately, Agastya passed his right hand over his stomach and said,"Vatapi Jeernobhava" (Vatapi got digested). Vatapi could not come out of Agastya's stomach, and that was the end of the demon. Ilvala was terrified. He kept shouting, "Vatapi atragacha", but to no avail. Agastya then said, "Oh, you wicked Ilvala, you wanted to kill me, but your brother Vatapi cannot come out! He is already digested". Ilvala decided to avenge Vatapi's death at the hands of the great sage and attacked Agastya. With the power of his ''tapas'' (

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...

), Agastya reduced Ilvala to ashes. This incident is believed to have occurred in the southernmost state of Tamil Nade, in a place called Konnur. The present-day name of the place has been changed to Villivakkam in Chennai. And the burnt place is Kolathur in Chennai. Both places have Shiva temples constructed by Agastya. In Villivakkam Sage Agastya is said to have built a Shiva temple, called Arulmigu Sri Agatheeswarar Temple, to forgo his pavam and started his tapasya or penance for lord shiva. And after his long penance, lord Shiva is said to have appeared before him in the Tamil month of Aadi, called Aashada in Sanskrit, on the first Tuesday. After that, he is said to have received the blessings of lord Shiva, and all his sins were cleansed. This place is considered to be one of the oldest and most important Shiva temples in Chennai. People from across India visit this temple in Villivakkam during the month of Aadi/Aashada to pay respects to the sage and the god.

References

{{HinduMythology Rakshasa Danavas